GIMME SHELTER: Laguna Beach’s household pets got...

GIMME SHELTER: Laguna Beach’s household pets got a strong show of support during the recent fires. . . . Not only were about a dozen pets rescued during the height of the firestorm by two animal control vans patrolling the streets, but residents across the county responded by volunteering temporary homes for displaced animals. . . . “We got hundreds of calls,” says Animal Control director Judy Maitlen . “They were offering to take in birds, snakes, horses, everything. It was really quite wonderful.”

RABID SUPPORT: While rabies is thought of as a scourge of the dog population, rabid cats have been outnumbering canines almost two to one in recent years, says county chief veterinarian Dr. James Evans. And afflicted cats tend to be far more aggressive than rabid dogs, often biting as many as a dozen people and, in one Wisconsin case, 67 people. . . . A push is on for a state law making cat registration and rabies shots mandatory. Says Evans: “They’re the great unwatched pet, out and about and running into wildlife. And that means we need to get some help.”

YEVILOV’S DOGS: Lake Forest dog trainer Paul Yevilov left his native South Africa five years ago because he liked the “politics and dogs” in the United States. Now he teaches three daily classes and manages to squeeze in private lessons. His secret: No traditional American techniques such as food rewards, hitting and muzzles. Instead he appeals to dogs’ “intellect” and desire to please their masters. “I’m trying to create the thinking, working dog. I believe they do think.”

DIVIDE AND CONQUER: The Laguna Beach Animal Hospital on Forest Avenue goes out of its way to keep peace between our two favorite species. It has separate waiting rooms; one with a cats-only entrance and the other just for dogs. . . . Staff member Teri Dixon said the setup reduces waiting room stress and keeps owners among their own kind. “It’s funny, too, because the people that come in without their pets to buy, for example, cat food, will walk right by the dog door and use the cat one.”